Not only have I offered on numerous occasions to meet with their consultants and respond to and answer any questions they may have, I have provided the City of Vineland well over 3,000 pages of documents, payment schedules, payment requests, actual audit and cost certifications, flow of funds detail, closing statements, the list goes on.

The prior consultants spent a reported $90,000 and have yet to issue anything even resembling a report. To suggest that spending another $25,000 and they will finally understand this financial undertaking is a joke on the taxpayers.

The actual audit that was completed and accepted by all the lenders and participants in the project cost less than $20,000 to complete by a firm that is qualified to provide these services. The City of Vineland can and might spend another $100,000 and still not have any better understanding of how this project’s financial structure was developed and undertaken primarily because they have no experience in this.

There is another agenda at work here. This mayor is looking for someone to blame for what is now buyer’s remorse over the project in the first place.

This project was not my idea nor will I accept blame for accomplishing what no one else could after 20-plus years of trying to rescue this facility. It is interesting to point out that the president of City Council at the time when this project was first conceived by the city was none other than the mayor himself.

My offer remains, Mr. Mayor. I would gladly meet with you, your consultants, your council in a totally open fashion to provide you with the answers you seek.

I welcome your acceptance, however, as past requests for a discussion have fallen on deaf ears I doubt I will hear from you.